Here, there a Chick, Where else a Chick Corea ?


I am a big 40-60's jazz fan. Never got a big kick out of fusion, but always keep an open mind. Cleaned up an old, though rarely played Maxell Jazz Sampler LP that has the Chick Corea cut "The Golden Dawn", which I find most enjoyable!! I subsequently saw in a second-hand store a mint copy of "Again and Again: The Joburg Sessions" on the Elektra Musician label so I gave it a try. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT LP in content AND sonics. Blew me right away.

Anyone out there familiar with this LP that can give suggestions as to other Corea LP's which are equally enjoyable?
4yanx

Showing 2 responses by kjg

Oddly enough, I just finished listening to an old copy of "My Spanish Heart", which is a very nice double solo album that he recorded in the mid 70's. In addition, one of my all time favorites of his is a quirky, fun album done about the same time called "The Leprechaun". A bit more playful and a little less mainstream than Spanish Heart, but thoroughly enjoyable.

If you haven't heard any of the Return to Forever albums, then its definitely worth sampling a few of them. The style is definitively mid seventies fusion, and might feel a bit dated if you're used to more modern compositions. However, the group itself is a collection of jazz giants (Chick Corea, Stanley Clark, Al DiMeola, and Lenny White), and the work they produce displays a marvelous virtuosity that make them nearly as compelling today as they were 25 years ago. My favorite of the bunch is “Romantic Warrior” (which is actually less Chick Corea and more of the other members), but across the board they’re all great albums.

Chick Corea is a pianist and composer of such depth and talent, that you can't really go wrong with any of his recordings. His styles have changed over the years (for better or worse), but with each turn he presents such wonderful and imaginative melodies that its hard not to find something you’ll enjoy about most of them. You might spend some time rummaging through the song samples available at Amazon or CDNow and see if anything fits your tastes.
Doh! I'd completely forgotten about Mad Hatter, and I have, and love this album. The disk is outstanding from start to finish, and sports an absolutely fantastic collection of musicians playing at their peak (Steve Gadd, Joe Farrell, Eddie Gomez, Herbie Hancock). Its sonically spectacular to boot, which seems to be the case with pretty much all of Chick Corea's solo works.

Sadly, its not available even on CD, but I'll venture to guess that its floating around used someplace. Hopefully, Polygram will recognize the value of this recording and bring it back into print.